Working with metadata in Assets 10

The functionality and working of Assets relies heavily on metadata so it is important to be aware of what it is and how to use it.

What is metadata?

Metadata is data that describes specific aspects of a file:

• When it was created
• Which application was used to create it
• Who created it
• What type of file it is
• What the size of the file is
• ...and much, much more

All this information is stored within the file itself, meaning that when you move the file (for example by sending it to someone else or by uploading it to Assets), the metadata is moved with it.

When working with files on a computer, you will come across metadata everywhere: from simply viewing a file in a folder to right-clicking a file and bringing up the Properties dialog box on Windows or the Get Info dialog box on macOS.

Types of metadata

Some metadata is very technical (such as the file size and file type) while other metadata describes the content of the file (such as a description, tags, or category).

How metadata is added

Metadata can be added automatically (for example by a digital camera, a word processor, or auto-tagging through artificial intelligence (AI)), or it can be added manually.

Changing metadata

Some of the metadata cannot be changed (such as the date and time when the file was created), while other metadata can be freely edited (such as a description).

Metadata and Assets

You will see metadata displayed throughout Assets and use metadata whenever you perform a search. When you have sufficient access rights, you can also change metadata.

Note: Assets also comes with an auto-tagging feature with which tags are automatically added during the upload of a file.

The more metadata is added to a file, the more likely it is that the file is found when searching for it.

• Add a description in your own words of what can be seen in the image or video.

• Add copyright information to show who the owner of the image or video is, including contact details.

• Use tags to describe various aspects of the content of a file. A color image of a red apple taken in a studio could for example have the tags: "apple", "fruit", "red", "food", "healthy eating", "photography", "studio shot", "color image".

• Add a rating when you are asked to review a selection of images. You could give an image that you prefer to see used as the opening image of a story 5 stars while giving your second choice 4 stars and your third choice 3 stars.

Working with taxonomies

When a value is added to a metadata field, it is important that this value is correctly entered. This is preferably done by all users using a generally used term and the correct spelling. When this is not consistently done, the chance exists that the file is not included in the search results when users search for the file (using these general terms and correct spelling).

To streamline this process, a metadata field can be set up to use a 'taxonomy list' from which the user can choose a predefined value to use. This is typically a list in a hierarchical structure.

Using taxonomies saves users from having to enter the term manually and thereby ensures consistent input.

When clicking inside a field that is connected to a taxonomy list, a panel appears from which a selection can be made. Click one or more values to include them, or click selected values to exclude them. When done, click Save to return to the Metadata panel.

Locations in Assets where you will come across metadata

1. Search field. When entering a search term in the Search field, Assets will find all files that have that term anywhere in the metadata.

2. Found files. Basic metadata such as the file name and file size can be displayed together with the preview of the file.

3. Filter panel. After performing a search, the results can be further narrowed down by applying a filter for example by selecting a tag. This is also based on metadata.

4. Metadata panel. When one or more files are selected, the metadata of these files is shown in the Metadata panel. When you want to edit the metadata, you would typically do so in this panel.

Changing the displayed metadata fields and their order

Assets contains more than 400 standard metadata fields, while additional custom fields can be added by the system administrator. Showing the fields that you regularly work with while hiding those that you do not need makes sure that you work quickly and efficiently in Assets.

You can change the displayed metadata fields and their order in the Filter panel, the Search results panel, and the Metadata panel.

Step 1. In any of these areas, click the Configure Metadata icon in the top right corner.

Figure: The Configure Metadata icon in the Metadata panel.

Step 2. In the panel that appears, select the metadata fields that you want to show, and clear the selections for the metadata fields that you want to hide. Use the Search field to quickly find fields.

Tip: To view information about the field in a tooltip, hover your mouse over the name.

Step 3. The selected fields and the groups to which they belong is shown on the right side. To change the order of these fields or groups, drag them to a different position.

Tip: Place often used fields at the top of the panel for easy access.

Step 4. Click Apply to save the changes.

Creating a metadata report

At some point, it may be needed to create an overview of all the metadata fields and their values (if any) of particular files. This can be done by creating a Metadata report. This will create a report in .csv format which can be further worked on as for instance a spreadsheet.

For more information, see Creating a Metadata report in Assets 10.

Figure: A metadata report imported into Excel.